The present invention relates to lavatories and other plumbing fixtures which have a drain outlet. It particularly relates to an attachable drain with an integral clamping flange that can be adjustably fixed to the plumbing fixture to facilitate varied types of installations.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,367,102 shows a prior art type of lavatory installation where there is a drain hole through the bottom of the lavatory basin. In this assembly a drain flange is positioned in the basin around the drain hole and also partially in the drain hole. The flange has a lower threaded end.
That lower end is then linked below the counter top to a drain tube which, in the case of this patent, has an integral clamping flange. Tightening the drain tube onto the lower end of the drain flange clamps the drain flange against the bottom of the lavatory or sink.
In other installations, there is no integral clamping flange. Instead, a clamping nut is threaded upward along the drain tube until it performs the clamping function.
In any event these designs leave an exposed, typically metal, drain flange visible to the user. Further, they require several parts to be linked together to complete the overall assembly.
This has a number of disadvantages. For one thing, the drain flange disrupts the ornamentation on the surface of the lavatory if the lavatory surface has been ornamented. For another, the point at which the edge of the flange contacts the lavatory basin top surface is a location which can be somewhat difficult to completely clean. In any event, the connection between the flange and lavatory needs to be sealed. Further, the greater number of parts required, the greater the manufacturing cost, and the greater the cost of assembly if a plumber is hired to make the assembly.
There have also been developed a variety of lavatories whose main basin sits completely over a counter top. See e.g. the “Conical Bell Vessels” and “Vessels Turnings” lavatories of Kohler Co. Attachment structures suitable for linking these lavatories to waste systems have typically had quite different structures from those used to mount designs where the basin of the lavatory is below the counter top to some extent.
Hence, a need exists for improved drain mounting assemblies for plumbing fixtures such as lavatories, particularly where the lavatories may sometimes be mounted by a clamping system, and other times be mounted in other ways.